Method and system for providing accessibility to electronic mail

ABSTRACT

A method and system that provide an accessibility gateway to Internet e-mail through the use of a web intermediary server. The web intermediary server preferably includes server-generated applications for modifying accessibility settings for supported client devices, registering the user for authority to use the intermediary server services, and generating mail web pages capable of allowing access and use of the Internet mail server. A request for e-mail from any mail server is sent from the client device to the intermediary server. The intermediary server retrieves the requested e-mail from a mail server, transcodes the server-based e-mail into a web-based e-mail, and applies user-defined transformations to the e-mail for accessibility, which is then sent back to the client device. If the e-mail is from a secure mail server, the intermediary server functions as a proxy for the user device to establish the requisite secure connection with the mail server.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] The present application is related to the following co-pendingapplication, which is filed on even date herewith and incorporatedherein by reference:

[0002] U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No.AUS920010584US1).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] 1. Technical Field

[0004] The present invention relates in general to the field of computernetworks, and, in particular, to the connection between a user deviceand a content server. Still more particularly, the present inventionrelates to an improved method and system for providing accessibility toelectronic mail.

[0005] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0006] The Internet comprises a vast network of heterogenous computersand sub-networks all communicating together to allow for global exchangeof information. The World Wide Web (WWW) is one of the more popularinformation services on the Internet. The WWW uses browser software todecipher HyperText links to other documents or files located on remotecomputers, all of which are connected to the Internet. Browsers providea user-friendly interface that allows users to easily navigate from siteto site or file to file around the Internet. Using a browser, a user canaccess information in the form of text, audio, video, still pictures andrelated multimedia stored on remote computers or content servers. Inaddition, the Internet provides transmission of messages calledelectronic mail, better known as “e-mail,” service to its users. Whilesome e-mail systems are confined to a single computer system or network,such as a business' intranet, the most popular form of e-mail is throughthe Internet. Through the use of gateways to other computer systems, theInternet allows users to send and receive electronic mail anywhere inthe world.

[0007] E-mail servers are found in a variety of servers and servicesconnected to the Internet. The most common e-mail servers are associatedwith online services that provide their subscribers with a wide varietyof data transmitted over telecommunication lines, and Internet ServiceProviders (ISP), which provide access to the Internet.

[0008]FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram of the prior art used toaccess server-based Internet e-mail. A client device 10, such as adesktop computer, laptop computer, personal digital assistant (PDA),onboard vehicle computer, cellular telephone, etc., invokes its residente-mail client application 12 to send a request for e-mail, typicallythrough an ISP, to an Internet mail server 30. Internet mail server 30will typically have separate servers for sending and receiving e-mail.Usually, client device 10 receives e-mail from a server using PostOffice Protocol (POP) or Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP), andclient device 10 sends e-mail to a server using Simple Mail TransferProtocol (SMTP).

[0009] A significant limitation of Internet-based e-mail relates toproviding accessibility to handicapped users, including the visuallyimpaired, hearing impaired and physically handicapped. Suchaccessibility primarily consists of changing the style of the e-mailreceived, such as changing print font sizes or converting written textto aural speech for the visually impaired. Accessibility features alsorelate to modifying how information is input into the user's device(such as a computer), to include changing the time delay for auto-repeatfunctions on a keyboard for users unable to quickly strike keys,changing mouse roller ball sensitivity and other changes to inputdevices to accommodate physical limitations of the user. Internetaccessibility programs have historically been limited to a particularapplication program or operating system for the client device being usedby the handicapped user.

[0010] The problem of transcoding for accessibility is complicated ifthe user of client device 10 sends a request to a secure server. Secureconnections in the prior art between a secure Internet mail server 30and client device 10 establish the requirement that the connection beinaccessible to any third party. A secure Internet mail server 30supports any of the major security protocols that encrypt and decryptmessages to protect them against third-party tampering. A typicalprotocol for a secure connection is the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)protocol, which uses a public key, typically a code table, to decipherany coded data. It is understood that the socket of an SSL is typicallya software object, not a physical component of a computer system. Thus,accessibility transcoding of content from secure web pages can only beaccomplished if the transcoder can communicate between client device 10and secure Internet mail server 30.

[0011] It should therefore be apparent that there exists a need for auniversal accessibility system for a handicapped user to access e-mailfrom any selected mail server 30, secure or non-secure. Such a systemshould include a user-specific and user-defined transcoding system thatincludes transcoding operations to provide accessibility to that clientuser, such as font modification, background displays, etc., that can bedelivered to a variety of client devices 10 used by that user. It wouldfurther be desirable to devise a computer program product wherein such amethod may be performed on a computer system. In addition, it would bedesirable to devise a proxy machine having the ability to transcoderesponses from an Internet mail server 30 to a client device 10according to user-defined preferences for accessibility.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0012] The present invention in its preferred embodiment is a method andsystem that provide an accessibility gateway to any Internet mail serverthrough the use of a web intermediary server that generates accessibleweb-based mail. The web intermediary server preferably includesserver-generated applications for modifying accessibility settings forsupported client devices, registering the user for authority to use theintermediary server services, and generating mail web pages capable ofallowing access and use of the Internet mail server. A request is sentfrom the client device to the intermediary server for e-mail contentprovided in any Internet e-mail server. The intermediary serverretrieves the requested e-mail from a mail server, transcodes theserver-based e-mail into a web-based e-mail, and applies user-definedtransformations to the e-mail for accessibility, which is then sent backto the client device. If the e-mail is from a secure mail server, theintermediary server functions as a proxy for the user device toestablish the requisite secure connection with the mail server. Theabove, as well as additional objectives, features, and advantages of thepresent invention will become apparent in the following detailed writtendescription.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] The novel features believed characteristic of the invention areset forth in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, as wellas a preferred mode of use, further objects and advantages thereof, willbest be understood by reference to the following detailed description ofan illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

[0014]FIG. 1 depicts a block diagram of prior art Internet connectionsto an electronic mail server;

[0015]FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of an Internet connection usingan intermediary server using a transcoder farm and web serverapplication for accessing an Internet mail server;

[0016]FIG. 3 depicts a block diagram of an Internet connection using apreferred intermediary server for transcoding e-mail requests andcontent responses; and

[0017]FIGS. 4a and 4 b illustrate a high-level flow chart of a method ofproviding access to e-mail in accordance with a preferred embodiment ofthe invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0018] With reference now to FIG. 2, there is a simplified block diagramof a system for making a connection from a client device 10 to Internetmail servers 30. Associated with client device 10 is browser 14, whichsends a request for e-mail. The request is sent through transcoder farm24, where it is transcoded if necessary. This transcoding may be eitherfor user accessibility and/or device type. One example of useraccessibility would be for a user with a physical disability thatcreates unwanted multiple key strikes, such as a user with palsy or onewho cannot release the key before the auto-repeat function initiates.Transcoder farm 24 will recognize this type of error based on the user'sprofile, and make the appropriate content correction for the inputrequest. An example of device type transcoding could be transforming thecontent from a device such as a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) orsimilar wireless device using Wireless Access Protocol (WAP). The WAPwould need to be transcoded into a request format understandable byInternet mail server 30, such as SMTP.

[0019] The mail request is routed through web server application 27,which is in a mail application web server that may be in proxy machine11 containing transcoder farm 24, or the mail application web server maybe in a separate connected machine. Web server application 27,preferably an application within intermediary web applications 28 inproxy machine 11 as described below, communicates with Internet mailservers 30 to access e-mail content for user. Web server application 27also creates a desired mail web page, which preferably includes aninbox, mail folder, attachment command button, send command button aswell as mail document itself. User activates commands on mail web pageto request e-mail content data, typically in POP3 or IMAP format, fromInternet mail servers 30, which return the mail content response to webserver application 27. Web server application 27 then sends the web mailpage (web based mail) to transcoder farm 24, where it is transcoded ifnecessary for the specific user's access and/or device type. Forexample, the mail page may be transcoded for a user having limitedvision into an accessible format such as a larger font, different coloror background, etc. Further, the mail page may be transcoded into aprotocol understood by the specific type of client device 10, such as aPDA or cellular phone.

[0020] With reference now to FIG. 3, there is depicted a block diagramof the preferred Internet connection between client device 10 andInternet mail servers 30. Client device 10 may be a network connecteddevice connected through a Local Area Network (LAN) or Wide Area Network(WAN), which LAN/WAN 15 connects directly to proxy machine 11. Suchdevices may be a desktop computer, laptop computer, set top box, PDA, orcomputer kiosk. In addition, client device 10 may be a cellulartelephone, which typically is connected through a Public SwitchedTelephone Network PSTN 13 that connects the cellular telephone to proxymachine 11, either directly or via LAN/WAN 15.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 3, in the preferred embodiment proxy machine 11performs several functions. Proxy machine 11 connects client device 10,as described above, to Internet servers 30, which may be an Internetservice (ISP), Internet Content Provider (ICP), or other similar gateway devices. Proxy machine 11, which in a preferred embodiment is in adifferent domain of computers from Internet mail server 30, acts as aproxy between client device 10 and Internet mail server 30. Access toproxy machine 11 may be through a direct or network connection, and maybe staged using different communication medium. For example, a telephonemay first require transmission through PSTN 13 to a voice server 29.Requests entering proxy machine 11 are routed, for load balancing,through network dispatcher 26. After routing has been determined, therequests are passed to one or more designated transcoders in atranscoder farm 24. User identification information is passed in therequest and authenticated by a security server 20 based on the storeduser set of protocol. If the user is not known or invalid, proxy machine11 will direct the client device's user agent (browser) to authenticatethe user by prompting it for a user I.D. and password. Theauthentication information is then be passed to proxy machine 11.

[0022] Once a user has been validated, the designated transcoder willquery the user data base 22 for profile information. In the preferredembodiment, this profile information is delivered through an eXtensibleMarkup Language (XML) transcoding directive, which provides directivesto the transcoder showing the user's preferred transcoding order,format, etc. The designated transcoder will then retrieve the documentfrom Internet mail server 30, apply the transformation and send it backto client device 10. The transcoding software in proxy machine 11 isdesigned to handle dynamic transcoding. To do this, each transcoderstores the document retrieved in browser form for manipulation by eachof the desired transformations. As a browser, proxy machine 11 works toseparate content, data, and executable script for manipulation by thetranscoder in transcoder farm 24. This manipulation is designed toimprove the accessibility and usability by the disabled or senior useraccessing proxy machine 11. The transcoder functions, which are based onthe internal browser engine of client device 10, may provide lowvision/cognitive transforms, blind transforms, or other transforms.

[0023] Other transcoder functions include support for secureconnections. Intermediary serve 11 may establish a secure socketconnection, preferably in the method and system described in U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No. AUS920010584US1), toInternet mail servers 30, and this secure connection may be accessedfrom client device 10 through a secure or non-secure connection,depending on user preference and set up of proxy machine 11. Inaddition, transcoder functions may provide access to intermediary webapplications 28, which may generate a mail web page having functionssuch as “Mail Inbox,” “Mail Message,” “New Message” prompt, and “SendMail” process block.

[0024] User data base 22 functions primarily to provide user profilesspecific for a client. User profiles show client preferences foraccessibility display of content, and these profiles are typicallyconveyed to the transcoder in transcoder farm 24 through an XMLtranscode directive. These same user profiles may be passed throughintermediary web applications 28, which are then transcoded intranscoder farm 24 according to the user profile.

[0025] Still referring to FIG. 3, after a request has been sent fromclient device 10 to proxy machine 11, the request is sent to Internetmail server 30 after the client has been authenticated as an authorizeduser of proxy machine 11. The e-mail is then returned from Internet mailserver 30, typically in POP3 or IMAP protocol, where it is transcoded intranscoder farm 24 according to a user profile found in user data base22. The transcoding then applies the appropriate transform, to includethose described above for low vision/cognitive disabilities, blindness,and others.

[0026] While transforms have been described above in examplestransforming content from Internet mail servers 30 back to client device10, transforms may also be accomplished going from client device 10 toInternet mail server 30. For example, when the user of client device 10types an e-mail message to be sent to Internet mail server 30, that usermay have a physical disability such as palsy, wherein specifictypewriter keys are inadvertently repeatedly struck. The user profile inuser data base 22, having this information, can direct a transcoder intranscoder farm 24 to automatically correct such double strikes,typically through a combination of timing criteria and logicalautocorrection algorithms. In addition, transcoder farm 24 may transcodeinput from client device 10 from a protocol used by client device 10,such as WAP if client device is a wireless telephone or similar device,into a protocol understood by Internet mail server 30.

[0027] By having a user profile stored in proxy machine 11 that isunique for a user, the user is then able to utilize a variety of clientdevices 10, by all having access to the user's profile in user data base22. For example, if the user needs to have image magnified, backgroundremoved, and a different display color on a desktop computer, the sameuser preferences would be automatically applied to any computer used bythat user when going through proxy machine 11. Thus the user's ownlaptop, a borrowed desktop, or a public computer terminal would alldisplay content from any Web site in the same format as defined by thatuser.

[0028] Reference is now made to FIGS. 4a and 4 b, a high-level flowchartdescribing a preferred embodiment of the present invention for accessinge-mail. As depicted in block 32, the user of client device 10 registersfor the Web Accessibility Gateway (WAG) services offered through proxymachine 11 either through a system administrator or through a WAGWeb-based server application, typically a web page generator with activefields for receiving user enrollment information. In the preferredembodiment, the WAG services comprise a web application servergenerating applications for modifying user settings for supporteddevices, registering users, and generating web-based mail from a user'sspecified mail receive and send severs such as POP3 and IMAP basedservers for storing received mail and SMTP based servers for sendingmail. The WAG also preferably contains a database in user database 22containing information regarding how to modify the Web-based e-mailbased on the user identification, the type of client device 10 beingused, any transformation settings, and the user's selection of web-basedmail services to apply web-based accessibility transformations throughtranscoding or retrieved e-mail. The WAG may also include a databasecontaining a listing of the user's mail servers as well as securityservices for authenticating users and maintaining privacy. The WAG alsocontains one or more transcoders in transcoder farm 24 that act asintermediaries for modifying e-mails requested for the purpose of makingthe e-mail accessible to one or more users and across one or moredevices.

[0029] Client device 10 is configured, either by an automatic settingservice or manually by the user, to use proxy machine 11 as a WAG proxyserver, as depicted in block 34. Using proxy machine 11 as a WAG proxyserver, the user accesses any web e-mail on the Internet, as illustratedin block 36. The WAG proxy machine 11 receives the request for aweb-based e-mail and authenticates the user as being authorized to usethe service provided by proxy machine 11, as illustrated in block 38. Aquery, as described in block 40, is made as to whether the user isauthenticated. If not, a directive, as illustrated in block 42, is sentback to client device 10, typically in the form of a web page,requesting content for the user to log onto and/or register with the WAGservices offered through proxy machine 11.

[0030] When the user is authenticated, a query is made as to whether thesession is ended, either because of the expiration of a pre-set amountof time or at the user's direction, as shown in block 44. Referring nowto FIG. 4b, if the session is still has not ended, a server for the WAGtranscoder farm 24 queries user database 22 for accessibility transformsto be applied for the requested device and the identified user, as shownin block 46. These transforms may include low vision/cognitivetransforms designed to allow a person with limited vision to view thecontent. Transmissive corrections may be applied to modify the stylesheet of the Web site, such as changing color or background. Text may bemagnified. Increased white space may be applied between letters to aidin those with cognitive disorders. The image may be magnified,sharpened, increased in contrast, and/or have animation removed. Thepage may be simplified, removing background art work, header displays,etc. Blind transforms may page inject a weblet to transform written textinto computer-generated speech.

[0031] As depicted in block 48, the WAG transcoder in proxy machine 11requests the e-mail web document. A query, as illustrated in block 50,is made asking if the page requested is a WAG generated mail web page,such as a Mail In Box, Mail Message, New Message or Send Mail directiveblock. These web pages are generated by applications functionallyassociated with proxy machine 11, and generate mail web pages thatprovide functions typically associated with e-mail servers. If therequest is for a proxy machine 11 generated mail web page, anapplication server associated with the WAG proxy machine 11 receives therequest for the mail web page, and executes a matching serverapplication for retrieving the e-mail from Internet mail server 30, asillustrated in block 52. The WAG server application retrieves theaddress and protocol for mail server 30 from user database 22, asdepicted in block 54. The server application in the WAG thencommunicates with mail servers 30 and generates web-based equivalentresponses for the specified user, as shown in block 56. As described inblock 58, the web-based equivalent response is then sent to transcoderfarm 24 for processing the e-mail before being sent back to clientdevice 10.

[0032] Transcoder farm 24 then receives the e-mail document, asillustrated in bock 60. A query, as shown in block 62, is made asking ifthe user has selected Web-based mail support functions such as MailInbox described above in block 50. If so, the e-mail response isrewritten such that “mail to” links reference the WAG application serverto invoke the “New Message” application, as illustrated in block 64.

[0033] As illustrated in block 66, accessibility transformationtranscodings are applied to the e-mail response, using transcoders intranscoder farm 24, preferably under the direction of directives fromuser database 22 showing the preferred transcodings, such as changingfont size, background color, etc. The transcoded response is thenreturned to the user agent associated with user device 10, as depictedin block 68.

[0034] As described in the foregoing description, it is apparent thatthe present invention provides a significant improvement to disabledusers in accessing e-mail. By having function buttons and content thatare accessible to the user on any type of client device 10, the disableduser is able to access his e-mail from any e-mail server 30 from anylocation in a format that both the user and client device 10 canrecognize.

[0035] It is understood that the present invention also includes thebusiness method of providing a service for delivering the describedinvention, including a service-provided proxy machine 11 and any othernecessary service-provided servers and proxy machines for delivering thedescribed web-mail application and transcoding application.

[0036] It is understood and appreciated that instructions from a contentprovider directing that the content provided is not to be transcoded orsimilarly manipulated should be honored. For example, a “no-transformdirective” in an HTTP header or similar instructions should be followed,and the content not transcoded or similarly manipulated according to theinstructions of the content provider. A description that is illustrativeof such an instruction is found in Section 14.9.5 of the 1999 NetworkWorking Group's HyperText Transfer Protocol HTTP/1.1.

[0037] While the invention has been particularly shown and describedwith reference to a preferred embodiment, it will be understood by thoseskilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be madetherein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for providing accessibility to anynetwork based electronic mail, said method comprising: connecting atranscoding proxy machine and a mail application web server between aclient device and a network based electronic mail server; receiving atthe mail application web server an electronic mail from the networkbased electronic mail server; generating in the mail application webserver a mail web page containing the retrieved electronic mail;transcoding for accessibility, in the transcoding proxy machine, themail web page according to at least one user-defined directive; andsending the transcoded mail web page to any client device authorized bythe user.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the transcoding proxymachine and the electronic mail server are in different domains.
 3. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising transcoding the mail web page intoa different format understood by the client device.
 4. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the proxy machine and the electronic mail server areconnected by a secure connection.
 5. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: registering in a database in the proxy machine the specificuser for a service providing the transcoding step in the proxy machine;and allowing only a registered specific user to access the service. 6.The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving at the proxymachine a client device input from the client device; identifying anyclient device input errors received by the proxy machine; transcoding,in the proxy machine, the client device input into a transcoded clientdevice input, wherein the client device input errors are corrected; andsending the corrected client device input to the network basedelectronic mail server.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the network isan Internet.
 8. A system for providing accessibility to any networkbased electronic mail, said system comprising: means for connecting atranscoding proxy machine and a mail application web server between aclient device and a network based electronic mail server; means forreceiving at the mail application web server an electronic mail from thenetwork based electronic mail server; means for generating in the mailapplication web server a mail web page containing the retrievedelectronic mail; means for transcoding for accessibility, in thetranscoding proxy machine, the mail web page according to at least oneuser-defined directive; and means for sending the transcoded mail webpage to any client device authorized by the user.
 9. The system of claim8, wherein the proxy machine and the electronic mail server are indifferent domains.
 10. The system of claim 8, further comprising meansfor transcoding the mail web page into a different format understood bythe client device.
 11. The system of claim 8, wherein the proxy machineand the electronic mail server are connected by a secure connection. 12.The system of claim 8, further comprising: means for registering in adatabase in the proxy machine the specific user for a service providingthe transcoding step in the proxy machine; and means for allowing only aregistered specific user to access the service.
 13. The system of claim8, further comprising: means for receiving at the proxy machine a clientdevice input from the client device; means for identifying any clientdevice input errors received by the proxy machine; means fortranscoding, in the proxy machine, the client device input into atranscoded client device input, wherein the client device input errorsare corrected; and means for sending the corrected client device inputto the network based electronic mail server.
 14. The system of claim 8,wherein the network is an Internet.
 15. A computer program product forproviding accessibility to any network based electronic mail, saidcomputer program product comprising: computer program code forconnecting a transcoding proxy machine and a mail application web serverbetween a client device and a network based electronic mail server;computer program code for receiving at the mail application web serveran electronic mail from the network based electronic mail server;computer program code for generating in the mail application web servera mail web page containing the retrieved electronic mail; computerprogram code for transcoding for accessibility, in the transcoding proxymachine, the mail web page according to at least one user-defineddirective; and computer program code for sending the transcoded mail webpage to any client device authorized by the user.
 16. The computerprogram product of claim 15, wherein the proxy machine and theelectronic mail server are in different domains.
 17. The computerprogram product of claim 15, further comprising computer program codemeans for transcoding the mail web page into a different formatunderstood by the client device.
 18. The computer program product ofclaim 15, wherein the proxy machine and the electronic mail server areconnected by a secure connection.
 19. The computer program product ofclaim 15, further comprising: computer program code means forregistering in a database in the proxy machine the specific user for aservice providing the transcoding step in the proxy machine; andcomputer program code means for allowing only a registered specific userto access the service.
 20. The computer program product of claim 15,further comprising: computer program code means for receiving at theproxy machine a client device input from the client device; computerprogram code means for identifying any client device input errorsreceived by the proxy machine; computer program code means fortranscoding, in the proxy machine, the client device input into atranscoded client device input, wherein the client device input errorsare corrected; and computer program code means for sending the correctedclient device input to the network based electronic mail server.
 21. Thecomputer program product of claim 15, wherein the network is anInternet.
 22. A method of doing business to provide accessibility to anynetwork based electronic mail, said method comprising: providing aservice for connecting a service-provided transcoding proxy machine anda mail application web server between a client device and a networkbased electronic mail server; providing a service for receiving at themail application web server an electronic mail from the network basedelectronic mail server; providing a service for generating in the mailapplication web server a mail web page containing the retrievedelectronic mail; providing a service for transcoding for accessibility,in the transcoding proxy machine, the mail web page according to atleast one user-defined directive; and providing a service for sendingthe transcoded mail web page to any client device authorized by theuser.
 23. The business method of claim 22, wherein the mail applicationweb server and the electronic mail server are in different domains. 24.The business method of claim 22, further comprising providing a servicefor transcoding the mail web page into a different format understood bythe client device.
 25. The business method of claim 22, wherein theproxy machine and the electronic mail server are connected by a secureconnection.
 26. The business method of claim 22, further comprising:providing a service for registering in a database in the proxy machinethe specific user for a service providing the transcoding step in theproxy machine; and providing a service for allowing only a registeredspecific user to access the service.
 27. The business method of claim22, further comprising: providing a service for receiving at the proxymachine a client device input from the client device; providing aservice for identifying any client device input errors received by theproxy machine; providing a service for transcoding, in the proxymachine, the client device input into a transcoded client device input,wherein the client device input errors are corrected; and providing aservice for sending the corrected client device input to the networkbased electronic mail server.
 28. The business method of claim 22,wherein the network is an Internet.
 29. The business method of claim 22,wherein the mail application web server is service-provided.